Pictures of Beijing’s Changfeng hospital after the deadly fire: on Wednesday, one day after the fire took 21 lives, outpatient service and access to the building was suspended. Photo: Zhang Changyue/GT

China's State Council said it would dispatch personnel to oversee the investigation into the tragic fire in Beijing's Changfeng hospital that killed 29, vowing to hold accountable those found responsible for the incident.

Beijing authorities have established a special team to investigate the incident, media reported Friday. Authorities said they would identify the cause of the incident, summarize lessons, identify those responsible, and put forward suggestions for handling the incident.

The death toll of the Beijing Changfeng hospital fire which occurred on Tuesday has reached 29. A preliminary investigation found the cause to be electric sparks caused by modification work, Beijing municipal authorities said at a Wednesday press briefing.

Twelve people, including the head of the hospital and those in charge of the construction, have been detained, Sun Haitao, an official from the criminal investigation corps of Beijing's Public Security Bureau, told the Wednesday press conference.

The deadly incident has prompted the city government, as well as governments in some other cities, to conduct safety hazard checks.

Fengtai district, where the Beijing Changfeng hospital is located, is reportedly to kick off a campaign from Thursday till the end of this year to screen out safety loopholes in local companies and institutes.

Authorities in Daxing district also launched investigation in two local private hospitals that media revealed to have cooperation with Beijing Changfeng hospital and were allegedly illegally providing care services for the elderly.

Similar actions have also been carried out in Shanghai, focusing on hospitals that are related to the Beijing Changfeng hospital.

According to thepaper.cn, the fire department in the Jiading district in Shanghai has reviewed the Cao'an hospital that is registered under the Beijing Changfeng hospital cooperation framework and found that safety hazards such as lacking fire escape exits in the dormitory were widespread.

The fire department required the hospital to evacuate people living in the dormitory and asked them to rectify issues identified, thepaper.cn said.

Global Times